How Terry Venables inspired Pep Guardiola to become the greatest-ever football manager

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola paid his tributes to the late, great Terry Venables, speaking on Venables' impact when Pep was a teenager in Barcelona.

Guardiola worked as a ball boy in the late 1980s at Barcelona and recalled some of the greatest moments 'El Tel' had provided in Catalonia.

Picture – YouTube @Enki2011

According to theguardian.com, Guardiola said: "As a Barcelona fan, he gave us La Liga after 11 years. His impact was incredible there. He introduced something that had never been before, especially a certain type of pressing and the set pieces."

"It's a big loss for English football and for his family, for his wife. I read a lot in the past 24 hours, how many players talk about him from the national team and former players. It is really impressive, and big condolences to all his family."

Guardiola credits Venables for providing the Manchester City coach with his first experiences of consistently winning football. Experiences he would take into his career.

Pep Guardiola is first and foremost a Barcelona fan, but when he was growing up, European football was dominated by English clubs, including Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest.

There is no surprise Guardiola's longest project has been with Manchester City in the Premier League, with the influence of Venables and English clubs.

It is Johan Cruyff who is remembered to have captured the imagination of Guardiola, being the first to win the European Cup, but the foundation Terry Venables had set helped create a highly successful winning machine.

Venables was a visionary and a manager beyond his years, utilizing set pieces and meticulously planning for opponents, something Guardiola could see in his formative years.

In his first season with Barcelona, Venables led the Catalan club to the La Liga title for the first time in over ten years. In his second, he led them to the Champions League final.

Venables created his system called the TTPP (Tactical, Technical, Pace, Personality) when assessing his players. This system is evident in the current Manchester City team.

According to mirror.co.uk, Gary Neville, a former player in Venables Euro 96 England team, said: "When we hear people that play for Pep Guardiola now say that he can call the outcome of a game in training a few days before the match arrives, Terry Venables had that very same capability."

"The ability that we had to change systems during matches and from game to game was incredible. It blew my mind. England certainly needed more like him, and it was a real sadness when he left at the end of Euro 96."

Fast forward to 2023, and the same can be said for Guardiola's Manchester City, changing from traditional to inverted full-backs and moving a central defender from their natural position to join a midfield five.

Neville also touched on the grave similarities between them when it came to the treatment of players, being fully supportive but ruthless when he needed to be.

Venables' unique tactical and technical approach to the game has stemmed into the brain of Guardiola, creating the greatest manager to walk the earth.